1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a method and system for user mobility services on a network. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and system for providing user mobility services that can be configured by user-operated portable information devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
For many years, telephone service providers on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) provided their customers nothing more than a telephone line to use to communicate with other subscribers. Over time, telephone service providers have enhanced their service by providing Custom Local Area Signaling Service (CLASS) features to their customers. Similar communication services are provided by a Private Branch Exchange (PBX), which is typically implemented in a nonresidential setting.
The CLASS features permit customer subscribers of the features to tailor their telephone service according to individual needs. Some of the more popular CLASS features are:
Call blocking: The customer may specify one or more numbers from which he or she does not want to receive calls. A blocked caller will hear a rejection message, while the callee will not receive any indication of the call.
Call return: Returns a call to the most recent caller. If the most recent caller is busy, the returned call may be queued until it can be completed.
Call trace: Allows a customer to trigger a trace of the number of the most recent caller.
Caller ID: The caller""s number is automatically displayed during the silence period after the first ring. This feature requires the customer""s line to be equipped with a device to read and display the out-of-band signal containing the number.
Caller ID blocking: Allows a caller to block the display of their number in a callee""s caller ID device.
Priority ringing: Allows a customer to specify a list of numbers for which, when the customer is called by one of the numbers, the customer will hear a distinctive ring.
Call forwarding: A customer may cause incoming calls to be automatically forwarded to another number for a period of time.
A customer subscriber to a CLASS feature may typically activate and/or deactivate a CLASS feature using xe2x80x9c*xe2x80x9d directives (e.g., *69 to automatically return a call to the most recent caller). CLASS features may also be implemented with the use of out-of-band data. CLASS feature data is typically transmitted between local Class-5 switches using the Signaling System #7 (SS7).
Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) and other similar organizations maintain CLASS offices that typically contain a database entry for each customer. The database allows specification of the CLASS features a customer has subscribed to, as well as information, such as lists of phone numbers, associated with those features. In some cases, customers may edit these lists on-line via a touch-tone interface. A list of all phone numbers that have originated or terminated a call with each customer is often included in the CLASS office database. For each customer, usually only the most recent number on this list is stored by the local Class-5 switch.
A Private Branch Exchange (PBX), is a stored program switch similar to a Class-5 switch. It is usually used within a medium-to-large-sized business for employee telephony service. Since a PBX is typically operated by a single private organization, there exists a wide variety of PBX services and features. Custom configurations are common, such as integration with intercom and voice mail systems. PBX""s typically support their own versions of the CLASS features, as well as other features in addition to those of CLASS. Most PBX features are designed to facilitate business and group communications.
A summary of typical PBX features includes:
Call transfer: An established call may be transferred from one number to another number on the same PBX.
Call forwarding: In addition to CLASS call forwarding, a PBX number can be programmed to automatically transfer a call to another number when the first number does not answer or is busy.
Camp-on queuing: Similar to PSTN call return, a call to a busy number can be queued until the callee can accept it. The caller can hang up their phone and the PBX will ring them when the callee answers.
Conference calling: Two or more parties can be connected to one another by dialing into a conference bridge number.
Call parking: An established call at one number can be put on hold and then reestablished from another number. This is useful when call transfer is not warranted.
Executive override: A privileged individual can break into an established call. After a warning tone to the two participants, the call becomes a three-way call.
While the CLASS and PBX features have enhanced the offerings of service providers that use the PSTN, the features are nevertheless limited in their flexibility and scope. The effect to the user is that the features become clumsy and difficult to use. For example, in order to use the Call Forwarding function, the user must perform the steps at the user""s own phone prior to moving to the location of the telephone to which calls will be forwarded. A more desirable approach, from the standpoint of usefulness to the user, would be to perform the steps at the telephone to which calls will be forwarded.
Much of the lack of flexibility of the PSTN features is due to the lack of flexibility in the PSTN system itself. One problem with the PSTN is that the terminal devices (e. g. telephones) lack intelligence and operate as xe2x80x9cdumbxe2x80x9d terminals on a network having the intelligence in central offices. Most PSTN telephones are limited in functional capability to converting the analog signals they receive to sound, converting the sound from the handset to analog signals, generating the appropriate dial tones when a key on the keypad is pressed, and ringing when there is an incoming call.
Some PSTN telephones have a display device and a display function to display specific information communicated from intelligent agents in the PSTN network using the PSTN signaling architecture. For example, some PSTN telephones have a display function to enable the Caller ID feature. Even such PSTN telephones are limited however by the closed PSTN signaling architecture, which prohibits access by the PSTN telephones to the network signaling protocols. A PSTN telephone having a display function is effectively limited to displaying text, again, as a xe2x80x9cdumbxe2x80x9d terminal.
The Internet presents a possible solution for distributing intelligence to telephony terminal devices. In Internet telephony, digitized voice is treated as data and transmitted across a digital data network between a telephone call""s participants. One form of Internet telephony uses a telephony gateway/terminal where IP telephony calls are terminated on the network. PSTN telephones are connected by a subscriber line to the gateway/terminal at the local exchange, or at the nearest central office. This form of Internet telephony provides substantial cost savings for users. Because the PSTN portion used in Internet telephony calls is limited to the local lines on each end of the call, long distance calls may be made for essentially the cost of a local call. Notwithstanding the costs savings provided by this form of Internet telephony, it is no more flexible than the PSTN with respect to providing enhancements and features to the basic telephone service.
In another form of Internet telephony, telephones are connected to access networks that access the Internet using a router. The telephones in this form of Internet telephony may be substantially more intelligent than typical PSTN telephones. For example, such a telephone may include substantially the computer resources of a typical personal computer.
Data network telephones and the data network (e.g. Internet) system in which they operate, however, lack a substantial infrastructure and service providers for providing telephone service.
It would be desirable to incorporate CLASS and PBX features into a data network telephony system that uses a data network such as the Internet.
It would be desirable to provide new features and enhancements to telephony service that accommodate and conform to users"" needs.
It would also be desirable to provide features and capabilities to telephone service that create new opportunities for users and for service providers.
It would also be advantageous to allow a user to utilize information stored in a user""s Portable Information Device (PID), e.g. a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), to assist in providing user mobility services.
The present invention is directed toward a system and method for interfacing a personal information device (PID), such as a PDA, with a network device, such as a data network telephone, to provide user access to voice and data network services. Applications on the PID, in combination with the network device and network servers, provide for a variety of user services, including user mobility services.
One aspect of the present invention is user portability for a user identifier, such as a user""s telephone number or character sequence. By synchronizing user identification information contained on a PID with a data network telephone, the owner of the PID registers with the data network telephone, which causes the user identification information to be registered in a database along with the address of the data network telephone. A calling device queries the database server for an entry corresponding to the user""s identification information in order to obtain the address of the data network telephone where the user is registered. The call to the user is thus routed to the data network telephone where the PID user was registered most recently. Unlike conventional telephone systems, the user""s identification is separate from a particular physical address.
In another aspect of the present invention, the PID may store and download to the phone the preferences of the user about the phone operation, such as the ringer volume and tone.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the PID may act as a smart card, providing authentication information for making toll calls.
In still another aspect of the present invention, the user may program the system through the PID so that depending on the time of day, and on the date-book information in the PID, the phone forwarding information is dynamically updated. For example, during business hours, the default location to forward calls could be set to be the user""s office, and during other hours, the user""s cellular phone or their pager.
In one embodiment of the invention, a system for providing user mobility services on a data network telephony system is disclosed. A data network provides data connectivity for a plurality of data communication channels using data transport protocols. A plurality of data network telephones within the data network may be used to communicate a voice signal as voice-over-data packets on a voice-over-data channel, where the voice-over-data channel is one of the plurality of data communication channels on the data network. A user, having a portable information device, may transfer user attributes from the portable information device to one of the data network telephones. The data network telephone receiving the user attributes transmits a registration request to a registration server to register the user with the data network telephone.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the data transmitted from the portable information device to the data network telephone includes communication partner data, allowing the user to invite at least one communications partner to a call across the data network.
In another embodiment of the invention, a system for providing user mobility services to a user associated with the portable information device includes a first set of machine language instructions for causing the portable information device to transmit user attributes to a first voice communication device, a second set of machine language instructions to cause the voice communication device to accept the user attributes and to transmit a registry request to a registration server, and a third set of machine language instructions to cause the registration server to accept the register request and to register the user associated with the portable information device to the data network telephone. A method for providing user mobility services at a voice communication device is also disclosed. According to one embodiment, the method includes the steps of receiving user attributes from a portable information device at the voice communication device and transmitting a registration request from the voice communication device to a registration server. The registration server registers the user to the voice communication device.
In another embodiment, the method could further include processing a call by referencing a registration data base maintained by the registration server and directing the call to the voice communication device to which the user is registered.